


Sacred Heart

by Lyv3Wyr3



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: ...Yeah this is probably going to be kind of OOC, Additional Characters to be added, Angst, Chubby! Reader, Ever notice how (almost) all my titles are song titles?, F/M, Fluff, Get ready for me to talk abt him smelling like roses, I'm Bad At Summaries, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Shy! Reader, Singer! Reader, Slightly Yandere! Jeremiah, Slow Updates, Soft Jeremiah at some points, a. l o t., but it happens before ace chemicals, do yall like the smell of roses? Cause I sure do, doesn't really follow cannon, oh yeah and theres no beta because I have no friends!, probably, sad boi hours are here, slow burn? never heard of it-, very self indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23318275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyv3Wyr3/pseuds/Lyv3Wyr3
Summary: (The first chapter can be read as a fluffy one-shot!)!!!Discontinued!!!(Y/N) (L/N) has always wanted to become a singer. Those dreams may become a little more achievable with someone like him on her side, but everything comes with a price. She had never realized just how much that price was.Or in other words, a really sucky Jeremiah X reader fanfic I wrote because of I had free time.
Relationships: Jeremiah Valeska/Reader, Jeremiah Valeska/You
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	1. Prologue

We all learn life lessons at one point or another. Today (Y/N) (L/N) learned that it isn’t exactly wise to anger a murderer. For most this would be a given, but everyone has their moments.

Maybe it would be best for some context to be provided. Let’s start at the night they met, shall we? The young girl had decided to go to a karaoke bar with a few friends from her university. Gotta love college seniors and their affinity for karaoke bars. Little did (Y/N) know that there would be a stranger at the bar. A stranger who had been watching her rather closely.

She took another sip of her virgin drink. She’d never been a fan of alcohol. It always left her feeling quite sickly, and the evening would usually end with her bent over a toilet. She listened to the soprano singing surprisingly well in the distance. Her voice reached a high note as (Y/N)’s eyes went wide. She had always considered herself talented when it came to music, but that was amazing!

She gently sang along quietly to the song not realizing that the man sitting next to her was listening. “You know you’re pretty good, darling,” a somewhat raspy deep voice remarked. She turned to the voice pink-cheeked while she nervously fiddled with her fingers. She had a _thing_ with people calling her darling. The pet name always managed to make her melt. As she looked at the stranger she had to do a double-take. It could easily be the lighting, but his skin looked an ivory white. “What’s your name love?” He asked sweetly. 

“My name is-” 

Yeah, she didn’t get to finish that sentence. A tall girl with bouncy blonde curls ran up to the other girl and threw her arms around her. Lillian, the perpetually drunk girl, held her friend close to her chest. She was allergic to alcohol, but from the way she acts, you’d think she never stopped drinking. _“(Y/N)~!_ ” She exclaimed. Well. At least he knows her name now. “That singer was _amazing~!_ You should totally go sing that french song! What was it again?” She asked. To say that she was bubbly was an understatement. This girl was never seen without a big goofy smile on her face. Giggles were commonplace in her presence. It wasn’t so much that that was a bad thing per se, but the handsome stranger ( _who had been calling her **darling**_ ) didn’t seem like the type to find this kind of behavior pleasant.

“You speak french my dear?” He asked seeming interested. Lillian released her girl from (Y/N) before putting her hands over her heart. Her mouth made an ‘o” shape.

“Goody two-shoes (Y/N) is talking to a boy?” she threw her arms up, “one might think the world is ending,” Lillian whispered to her. She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the boy who seemed quite annoyed that she wasn’t paying attention to him. ‘Not the best sign, but he seems pretty nice,’ she thought to herself.

“I’m learning. I’ve always loved the French language and aesthetics. I know that I’m romanticizing it way more than I should, but I can’t really help it. I romanticize a lot of things. Like stargazing, I love to stargaze!” She said, her eyes lighting up, “I just really like seeing things as what they could be instead of what they are-” she bit her lip to cut herself off. She was probably scaring him off. “But yeah no, I don’t speak french yet. I just like to sing in it,” she said tucking a bit of hair behind her ears out of nerves. “Sorry I-I just kind of started rambling didn’t I?” She said looking up at him through her eyelashes. 

She saw his deliciously red lips turn up at the sides. He put a gloved finger under her chin and gently directed her eyes toward his (which were hidden by sunglasses. _Indoors_.) “It’s quite alright darling, I like the sound of your voice.” She didn’t even try to hide the smile that was forcing its way to her face. 

“T-Thank you,” she began. She inhaled deeply to try to soothe the nerves that were twisting in her gut. “I never did ask you name…” She remembered with a nervous laugh. 

“Promise not to run away dearest?” He asked sounding genuinely concerned. 

  
  
“Yeah, of course. Why would I run?” The handsome stranger took a deep breath.

  
“It’s J-” Oh look at that. This time he was kept from saying his name.

“(Y/N)!” A few of her friends called. She turned her attention to the direction of the calls. She saw many of her friends motioning for her to come to the. “You’re up next!” They told her.    
  


“I am? Crap!” She stood up before giving him an apologetic glance, “sorry I’ll be right back!”

She ran up to the stage. Turning to the machine she plugged her phone in. In a few moments, she would be singing in front of _dozens_ of people. It was always a truly terrifying experience, but at the same time, it was so exhilarating! To know you had the power to control people’s emotions with a couple of notes and conveniently placed words was an amazing thing. Being on the stage always brought out a different side of her. The moments before she started were always terribly hard. She would never be able to breathe, but the moment she opened her mouth it was as if she were alone.

The gentle melody of the guitar strings being plucked danced around the room. The (h/c) girl began to sway gently to the rhythm. Finally, it was time for her to start singing. She took a deep breath before holding the warm microphone close to her lips.

“Quand je marche dans la rue La rue vers le Sacré-Cœur.”

* * *

  
  
  


Jeremiah was completely captivated. To say she sang beautifully would be an understatement. He sat at the edge of his seat as he listened intently to the girl who had stolen every bit of his heart. He had first seen her at the university a few months ago. He had plans for that university. That was until he saw her. She wasn’t anything special in the looks department. Plain round face and slightly overweight. Most people wouldn’t spare her a second glance. That’s not what drew her to him. What made her become permanently lodged in his head was her musical talents. His first encounter with her was in the music room. She was playing piano and singing along gently. Never before had he heard such a lovely voice. There was so much emotion in her playing.    
  
He had never understood the hype music had. It was just 12 notes repeated over and over with repetitive poems recited at the same time. There was nothing special about it. And he never did understand how you could hear an emotion. Logically it was impossible. You cant hear something you feel. He believed it was all utter nonsense. Then he heard her play, and everything he thought he knew about music became a lie. 

Right then and there he swore that she was to be his. That she would have anything her heart desired. She would be his most precious treasure, and it was only a matter of time and procedure until they were happily married. Forever bound to each other and each of their hearts completely owned by the other. Well, they were already halfway there. She had his heart already, now all he had to do is win hers. He truly hoped there wasn’t someone else. He’d hate to have to be a homewrecker, but if that’s what it took for her to be his then so be it. Because make no mistake, she was most definitely going to be his.

“Je vais t'attendre là, Seulement toi… Seulement toi,” he grinned at the girl happily. Her song came to an end as he clapped happily. ‘That’s my girl,’ he thought to himself.

He wanted to hear her sing again. He wanted to hear that voice that made him fall for her. The song had reached its end all too soon. He wanted, no he _needed_ to hear her sing some more. But he supposed it would have to wait. In due time he would be able to listen to her whenever he wanted. 

“T-Thank you!” She exclaimed with a bow. She shyly exited the stage and made her way through the crowd of strangers and friends until she got to her mysterious impromptu date.

“Wow… darling, you’re astoundingly amazing. I don’t know how you can be so shy with a talent like yours,” he all but purred as he brought her hand to his lips. She laughed a bit before taking her hand back.

“Thank you... uhm I still don’t know your name,” she said scratching the back of her head. He handed her a card and she tilted her head down to look at it. It said: ‘call me anytime gorgeous.’ She then saw a series of numbers that she assumed to be his number. She felt him place a kiss on her cheek (which was becoming increasingly close to his lip color).   
  
“The name is Jeremiah Valeska,” he said before standing and exiting. Her blood ran cold. Just as she was about to run she noticed he had already left.

  
  
  
  



	2. Cafes and Elevators

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well… Thank you…” she said after pushing his hand away.
> 
> “Any time dear. And if someone needs to be… “swayed” in their opinions about you… then call me,” he said before grabbing her hand and pressing it to his lips. 
> 
> “Y-Yeah thanks,” she said quickly as she tried to hide her obvious blush. There was just something about him that made her feel soft inside. But there was even more about him that made her feel terrified. She hoped that her shaking wasn’t too obvious. She’d hate to anger him. He seemed to notice.

“Who was that boy?” Lillian asked running up to (Y/N)’s side. Her bubbly expression turned serious, a word that shouldn’t be associated with the chocolate skinned girl, as she noticed the fear plainly etched onto (Y/N)’s face. “(Y/N)…?”

The girl looked around at all the people in the bar. The bright green red and blue lights threw shadows on the people’s smiling faces, distorting them in (Y/N)’s cloudy vision. Her body seemed to be magnetized to the cool white tile floor. Just as her torso began to fall forwards she felt a hand grab onto her shoulder. “(Y/N) are you okay?” Asked James, a tall cellist from her music theory class. 

The short girl leaned onto the granite bar, rubbing the surface needing to ground herself. “God, _how much did you drink?”_ He asked with concern dripping from his every word.

“It was _him_ …” she said in a hushed voice as she felt herself begin to shake.

“Who was it (Y/N)?” asked Lillian.

“Can someone fill me in?” James huffed.

  
“There was some guy hitting on (Y/N),” Lillian explained. 

“Oh,” he said blankly, “wait did he do something to you (Y/N)? I swear just point him out to me and-”

“Shhh!” The girl exclaimed pressing a finger to the older boys’ chapped lips, “He might hear you!” The boy clicked his tongue.

“I think I can take him. Besides, if someone hurts you then it’s my job to help you out, remember?” The girl smiled weakly and muttered a quick “thank you”.

“You’re really worrying me (Y/N). Who was it?” Asked the tall blonde. 

“It was… i-it was Jeremiah Valeska…” the girl replied feeling light-headed. Her friends collectively gasped in surprise.   
  


“That can’t be true…” James remarked.

“M-Maybe he was lying?” Supplied the girl. (Y/N) shook her head.    
  
“No, it definitely was him,” her hands seemed to shake against her will, ‘I don’t know what he wants with me…” Lillian rubbed her back.

‘I’m sure it will all be okay… Maybe he was just messing with you,” she said trying to comfort her friend. 

“Either way,” James began, “We should probably head back to the dorms. It’s getting late.” They all agreed and told the rest of the class where they were going. After saying a few quick goodbyes the trio went back to their campus. James opted to walk (Y/N) back to her dorm just in case a certain green-haired sociopath decided to show up at her dorm. “Guess I should get going now…” He said once they got to her door. She nodded and smiled sweetly at the brunet. She pulled him into a tight hug. 

“Goodnight James. Thanks for all the help,” she said tiredly before pulling away.

“It was no problem,” he said scratching the back of his neck. “I’ll see you later (Y/N). Sleep well,” and with a wave, he was off. (Y/N) wished she could say she rested well that night, but she couldn’t sleep. Her dreams were plagued by thoughts of Jeremiah and what he could possibly want with her.

  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


About a month had passed since (Y/N) met Jeremiah. She had gotten over the initial shock of what had happened and since he hadn’t popped up in her life she assumed that he was only messing with her at the bar. Still, she kept his card. She had no idea why, but every time she moved to throw it away something in her would just feel… off. She just couldn’t do it. Sighing she pushed herself off of her black bed. Walking to the wide window she pushed the curtains open. A bright light brightened up her small dorm. Just beyond the delicate glass of her window sat numerous skyscrapers seemingly reaching for the sky, some of them kissing the clouds. She traced out the sharp edges of the buildings with her fingertips. The cotton candy clouds colored pink by the sunrise seemed good enough to eat. 

Her time admiring the view was cut short. If she didn’t hurry she would be late for her class. Quickly gathering her things she made her way to the lecture hall.

  
  


* * *

As the young girl glanced around the small cafe she saw many familiar faces along with some new ones. She decided to sit in the corner near the tall, green, leafy plant. The cafe had well-worn hardwood floors. The tables were an authentic white granite. The veiny lines of the black clashed with the ivory white parts. She traces small circles on the table with her fingertips. Nervously spinning back and forth on her stool she began to let her thoughts run wild. She pulled out a pen and paper. Her pen danced hastily across the paper. Writing songs again. She placed her notepad down to play the tune on the table. She had found that playing would help her to envision the sound. 

“Writing _again?”_ Called the voice of a barista. It was James. (Y/N) smiled sweetly as he placed a cup in front of her. 

“Yeah,” she said picking up the hot chocolate. “You really didn’t have to bring me this.”   
  
“It was no problem,” he waved it off. He saw her reaching for her wallet and put his hand over hers to press the wallet back in her purse. “It’s on me.”

“Oh James I can’t ask you to do that,” she said shaking her head gently. 

“No, really it’s fine. Consider it a congratulation for writing a new song,” he said bumping her with his elbow. “Mind if I sit here?” He asked. She nodded.

“Be my guest!”

(Y/N) then told her about the new school project she had going on. They were supposed to write a music piece in the genre of their choice and then the biggest recording company in the area, Becoming Cinnamon Rolls, would choose one of their songs for a hit singer to sing. Or, if they liked their voice enough, they would get to sing it. “It’s so _exciting_ James! We could really get discovered! I can’t believe that a stranger decided to fund this. Its a bit odd actually...”

“It kind of is, _but still!_ God this is so exciting! They’re going to _love_ you!” He exclaimed. (Y/N) laughed nervously as she blushed. 

“I haven’t won just yet. Besides it _probably_ won’t be me…” she said as she looked down to her lap and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. 

“Won’t be you? (Y/N) you’re _amazing_ ,” he breathed tucking a bit of hair behind her ear, “The moment they hear you they’re going to love you…” That was strange. She could have sworn she heard him say _‘just like I do’_ under his breath. She then felt a chill run down her spine. Someone was watching her. However, when she looked around she didn’t see anyone. “W-Well I’ve got to get back to work!” James said jumping up and patting his thighs. “I-I’ll see you around… (Y/N).”

“S-See you…” she said collecting her things. She headed out of the small cafe, drink in hand, and began making her way back to the campus. That feeling never went away though. The closer to her dorm that she got the worse the feeling got. She quickly entered the elevator, but before she could turn around she felt a hand touch her shoulder.

“ _Hello darling_ ~” purred a voice from behind her. Then the elevators shut. She and the stranger were **alone**.    
  
“What do you want?” She asked willing her voice not to crack. There was no point asking who it was. She already knew. And if the scent of roses wasn’t enough to give his identity away his voice and the fact that he was calling her _“darling”_ was.

“In the fewest words possible? _You_ ,” he stated. His voice was quite soothing if she were honest. She always did have a thing for guys with sweet-sounding voices, but this wasn’t just any guy. This guy was insane. Besides…

“I’m sorry, but I like someone else, Jeremiah,” she responded fighting with her voice to not sound so… _fragile._ So helpless to him. Because truth is that he could do anything he wanted to her and no one could stop him. She heard a deep chuckle.

“You didn’t even let me tell you what I wanted to tell you, love,” he said turning her to face him. She was face to face with him now. Their faces were dangerously close. She backed up a few steps and coughed awkwardly. 

“W-What is it?” She asked crossing her arms.

“It’s about the contest. I-”

“Hey wait… how do you know about that?” She asked, her voice showing the fear she had hoped wouldn’t be too obvious. He sighed, his face falling. She realized that she had hurt him. Maybe not her best idea.

“Who do you think it was that funded the project?” He asked. Realization finally hit her. 

“But… why would you…” she began to ask while tilting her head slightly. He smiled, genuinely smiled.

“Because of you, dearest. I want to help you accomplish your dreams,” he said leaning forward over her a bit with his hands respectively behind his back.

She raised an eyebrow. “Just because you do n-nice things for me doesn’t mean I’m going to g-go out with you…” she stuttered backing up. “I’m not an object that can be bought.”   
  


“I agree dear. I’m not doing this because I want you, no. I just want you to be happy. I’m giving you your chance.”

“Jeremiah I don’t want you to hand me my dream on a silver platter. I want to earn it,” she stated. He sighed.    
  
“I’ve not only given you a shot dear. I’ve given everyone in your class a chance. You have to prove yourself to be better than them, as I know you will,” he said tucking some hair behind her ear. He touched her so gently… as if she were a flower that he was trying not to break. It almost didn’t seem possible that it was actually him. He seemed so… soft around her.

“Well… Thank you…” she said after pushing his hand away.

“Any time dear. And if someone needs to be… _“swayed”_ in their opinions about you… then call me,” he said before grabbing her hand and pressing it to his lips. 

  
“Y-Yeah thanks,” she said quickly as she tried to hide her obvious blush. There was just something about him that made her feel soft inside. But there was even more about him that made her feel terrified. She hoped that her shaking wasn’t too obvious. She’d hate to anger him. He seemed to notice.   
  
“One day… I hope that you realize that I would never hurt you, darling,” he sighed. He pressed a quick kiss to her forehead before pressing a button to make the elevator doors open. Even though she felt relieved that he was gone she couldn’t help but wish he’d stayed. Shaking her head she pressed the button of her floor. She had… _a lot_ to tell Lillian about.


	3. Unexpected Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You,” he said before gently leaning in and kissing her softly. She was frozen, unable to react or kiss him back. He pulled away and looked anywhere but her. He was silent, a blank face consuming his features as he looked at (Y/N)’s wide-eyed and pink one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh so yeah I'm back! With two chapters in one night! Yay! This one is short but the next one isn't so uhhh yay? Yay! Also next chapter has some fluffy Jeremiah content to make up for him not being in this one.

James sat backwards on a chair with his arms draped across the top of it. He had to admit. He was enjoying watching (Y/N) suffer. In his opinion, she was quite adorable when she’s mad. She was quite adorable no matter what she honestly. He wondered how she could be so oblivious to his feelings. He sighed watching her eyebrows furrow as she talked aloud to herself.

_“The way you smile,”_ (Y/N) said quietly scribbling things down on her notes. “No, that’s too generic,” she said scribbling it out. _“Make it worthwhile…?”_ She wondered aloud. “No! I’d have to add something to describe it and this verse is already too long!” She exclaimed before slamming her pen and pencil down on the table. She roughly slammed her head on the table and let out a frustrated groan. 

“Whoa, there girlie I think you might wanna stop banging that table so hard. You’re gonna hurt it!” He joked flicking the side of her head. Of course, James was here. 

“ _Ha ha_ very funny,” she said. She slowly lifted her head up. “Why is this so _hard?”_ She whined.

“Because you have to write a love song but you’ve never been in love?” He teased. Well. _Partially teased_. He was, in all honesty, trying to get her to say that she had feelings for someone… and preferably that someone would be _him._

He knew it was a bad idea. He was her professor’s son. If they got involved with each other then her grades could be called into question. She could lose her scholarship. Not to mention she seemed to have a sociopathic murderer in love with her. A murderer who would not like the idea of his sweetheart being in love with someone else.

(Y/N) in love with him. Oh how much he’d love for her to feel that way for him.   
  
“Have too!” She countered.

He huffed, eyes wandering around the small cafe. “Oh yeah?” He folded his arms and leaned in close. “With who?” He asked, a smirk finding it’s way onto his face. He was so close that (Y/N) could feel his breath on her face. 

“Someone…” she said softly, suddenly feeling a bit more aware of her surroundings. She had never been looked at the way James was looking at her. She bit her lip and took a shaky breath in. She wasn’t scared, but she was just a little suspicious. Usually, in the movies, this is where the guy and the girl kiss. Wait… was that what’s happening here!? There is no way James could have feelings for her… _right?_

“Well, (Y/N), so do I,” he said slowly leaning in and letting his eyes wander to her lips.

“O-On who?” She asked timidly while leaning back a bit, her cheeks flushed a light red. 

_“You,”_ he said before gently leaning in and kissing her softly. She was frozen, unable to react or kiss him back. He pulled away and looked anywhere but her. He was silent, a blank face consuming his features as he looked at (Y/N)’s wide-eyed and pink one.

“I-I should go,” she said grabbing her things and standing up.

“Yeah! Yeah, you should um-” -he cleared his throat- “You should go and _uhm_ write your song!” 

“See you later!” She said before rushing off, notepad in hand, to Lillian’s dorm. 

* * *

  
  


**“HE WHAT!?”** Lillian exclaimed causing (Y/N) to cover her ears. Lillian was leaning over a pink bohemian style pillow on top of her orange-peach comforter. (Y/N) ran her hands along the smooth fabric that was covered in bright yellow flowers. 

“Calm down Lil. I-It’s not that big a deal,” (Y/N) stuttered while fidgeting with the hem of her shirt which rested on her thick thighs as she sat criss-cross applesauce. She nervously bit her lip thinking back to how James' lips felt on her own.

“Well did you like it? Nonostupidquestion,” she said quickly shaking her head, bouncy 4a curls covering her face every time her head switched directions, “Do you like _him?”_ She asked excitedly, “Oh _please_ say yes. I so totally ship it-”

“Lil, _breathe,”_ (Y/N) giggled, seemingly catching giggles from the older girl.

“(Y/N), _answer,”_ she said in the same tone as she had seconds before. (Y/N) sighed.

“I don’t think so…” she said sadly, “I just don’t really have feelings for him. I mean… I love him. A lot. But not like that, y’know?”

“ _No,_ (Y/N) _I don’t._ Do you know how hot he is?”

“He’s average you dweeb,” she replied unamused.

“Yeah his looks are average, but he’s super nice and talented. He’s devoted to his friends and loyal as heck. And he absolutely adores you and has since freshman year!”

“He has?!” (Y/N) asked freaking out, “Did everyone but me know?”

“Yup!” Lillian laughed, “Honestly (Y/N) you’re so oblivious!”

(Y/N) made a little noise that loosely translates to _“Oh my god that’s so embarrassing please end my miserable existence”._ She had to admit, his sleek black hair and piercing blue eyes would make any girl swoon. And his voice? It could maybe even rival her own. He was a really nice boy. She would never be lonely. She would never wonder if she was loved, but still. It’s a terrible thing to be in love. It’s dangerous and usually ends in flames. She would rather not have to find out what it would feel like for James to break her heart. 

“(Y/N) you’re making that face again,” Lillian chided, “Stop making your _“I miss Caleb”_ face!” Ah yes. Her first love. The reason she was afraid to fall again. It didn’t end hastily. It didn’t end all at once. They gradually broke each others hearts until neither could take it any longer. Slowly they began talking less and less. Soon enough they never talked again.

“I’m not,” (Y/N) said defensively, “Besides. Caleb is just proof that no matter how nice the guy is it won’t end well.”

“It worked for my parents!” Lillian supplied, trying to help (Y/N) believe in love a little more.

“And it didn’t _for mine_. For mine, it ended badly. Because men are tras-”   
  
“Not every man is trash! Now yes, many are, but you can’t say an entire gender is bad because a majority of them can be. No one is perfect.”

“Exactly. No one is perfect. That is exactly why dating isn’t a good idea.”

Lillian sighed, “Love is real (Y/N). You just haven’t met the right guy yet. I betcha that there is someone out there who would absolutely adore you and never do anything to hurt you!” Lillian mumbled the next part, “and his name is James Miller-”

“Lillian!” (Y/N) whined throwing a pillow at her friend. Lillian gave her a murderous glance.

“You do know this means war?” She said with a horrid Buggs Bunny accent. She cocked a pillow causing (Y/N) to snort and laugh, the serious aura quickly fading as the two lost themselves in a pillow fight. Oh, how she wished she could live her entire life like this. Pillow fights with her best friend on sunny afternoons made her feel like things could be okay. She thought that she didn’t need to be in a romantic relationship. Friendships were enough for her. But fate has different plans for her. And what is fate’s name?

  
  


**_Jeremiah Valeska_ **


	4. Hugs in the Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) gulped, “Ma’am I swear nothing like that is going on! I’m not dating James. He’s just my tutor in music theory and-and he’s a friend of mine!”
> 
> “Seems it,” she said dismissively. “Regardless we need to do some, more investigating. Until then we have decided to put a hold on your scholarship.”

Let’s fast forward a day or two. (Y/N) was woken by the sound of her alarm blaring once more. She yawned and pushed the soft black comforter off of her warm body. She sat up and stretched her arms before scowling at the world. There is no reason she should have to be up at this _godforsaken_ hour. Regardless, she pushed herself off of her bed and moved to go to the bathroom. After freshening up a bit and getting dressed in an oversized sweater and leggings she grabbed her pack and hurried out of the door.

She walked down the long, narrow, and dimly lit hallway. She ran her hands along the white textured wall. The faint sound of a chorus could be heard in the distance. She cringed, feeling bad for the people who have to sing this early. The sleepy voices couldn’t be very kind on the ears either. 

Soon she entered the main room. A large spacious area with a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was made with stained glass so when the early morning sun shone on it so it cast multiple colors all around the room. It was like a kaleidoscope of rainbows. She quickly took in its beauty before heading to her class. However, when she got there she was met with the dean of FineArts. She smiled politely as she gave her a quick _“excuse me”,_ only for the dean to step in her way once more.    
  
“Mrs. (L/N),” she greeted, lips in a fine line. “I need you to come with me.”   
  
(Y/N) felt a chill run down spine. She nodded as she followed the authoritative woman down a series of hallways. She looked around and saw many pictures with plaques below them. _‘Must be the previous deans,’_ she thought to herself. Finally, they arrived in a medium-sized office. She noticed someone was in a chair but she could only make out his silhouette.

“Take a seat Mrs. (L/N). Mr. Miller. Thank you for waiting,” the older woman said flatly.

“Y-Yeah no problem ma’am,” James said with a nod. (Y/N) eyed him curiously, wondering why he was there. Why _she_ was there.    
  


“Well you’re probably wondering why you’re here,” she began. She cleared her throat before reaching into her desk drawer and pulling out a picture. She laid it on the desk. On it, plain as day was James kissing a pudgy girl with (H/C), (H/L) hair. _Oh no_ … “Now. As you may know, this school is one of the highest-ranking in the nation. Our students **earn** their grades.”

“Ma’am may I just sa-” the woman shot him a death glare and James knew it would be best to shut up before she made him.

“(Y/N). Do you know what this is?” she asked tapping the picture, the hardwood making a solid clacking sound every time she tapped the picture with her fingers. The young girl gulped and nodded her head. “So you admit that it’s **you** in this picture?” The girl began fiddling with the hem of her shirt while giving a quick nod. “Good.”   
  
“Normally we wouldn’t make anything of two of our students dating each other. They’re young and dumb and it’s bound to happen. However… This young man’s father is one of your professors. Still, that’s nothing to be suspicious of… that is until we reviewed your recent grades. Lately, they have drastically improved. We also know that lately, you have been spending more time around Mr. Miller.”

(Y/N) gulped, “Ma’am _I swear_ nothing like that is going on! I’m not dating James. He’s just my tutor in music theory and-and he’s a friend of mine!”

“Seems it,” she said dismissively. “Regardless we need to do some, more investigating. Until then we have decided to put a hold on your scholarship.”   
  


(Y/N) felt her heart stop. “W-Wait you _can't_ do that!” she exclaimed, “I have to keep it! I’ve done nothing wrong!”   
  
“I sure hope so. But just to be certain we are doing an investigation. We’ll let you know when it’s over. You’re dismissed Mrs. (L/N). But you must stay Miller.”

Shakily (Y/N) stood up and exited the room. As soon as the door was closed though she sunk to the ground and dissolved into a sobbing mess. If she lost her scholarship she lost everything. She didn’t know what to do or who to call. She knew that Lillian wouldn’t answer. Her phone was always off during class. She stood up and took shaky steps away. Who should she call? Who could she call that could actually help is the question. 

Then it hit her.

She did know someone who could help. But was what she would have to do _really_ worth it?”

* * *

  
  
  


Jeremiah sat in his chair sipping some scotch by the fire. He was having a very nice day, to be honest. If only he didn’t hear that cursed phone ring. He growled, thinking it was the penguin once more. His face softened however when he saw a familiar name pop up. Good thing he had programmed her number into his phone. He knew she would eventually call, he had just expected to have to... _persuade_ her a little more than this. 

He quickly accepted the call. “Hello dear,” he greeted only to be met with… sniffles? She was most definitely crying and he felt his blood _boil_ almost instantly. 

_“J-Jeremiah?”_ Came a staticky voice.

“Yes, darling? What is it?” He asked trying not to let his anger be too evident in his voice. This would only scare her off. Though it was a struggle to contain the emotion.

_“I need your h-help,”_ she stuttered. The sound of thunder could be heard in the distance. 

“Where are you (Y/N)?” he began, “Just tell me and I’ll be there as fast I can,” he promised. 

_“I-I’m outside the library on main street,”_ she sobbed out.

“Okay. _Don’t move_ I’m coming.”

* * *

  
  
  


Soon enough Jeremiah pulled up in his limo. When he got out he opened his umbrella. Then he spotted her at one of the small tables. She was sitting outside all alone in the rain, and to make matters worse she was _soaked_. He felt a pinch in his heart. He rushed to her side and put the umbrella over them both. She flinched and her breath hitched when she saw him, but soon enough she faded back into her previous state of staring at the ground numbly. 

“Thank you for coming,” she said softly. His lips went into a fine line as he removed a glove and pressed it to her forehead.    
  
“You’re _freezing,_ (Y/N),” he chastized handing her the umbrella. She took it with a confused look on her face. He then took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around her then took back the umbrella. “Why didn’t you try to meet me somewhere warm darling?” He asked with concern. She shrugged.

“The phone booth is here and my phone is dead,” she explained.    
  
“Why didn’t you charge it at the college?” He asked. When she started crying again he realized that bringing it up was a mistake. “(Y/N) _what happened?”_

“They’re trying to take away my scholarship!” She exclaimed. “They think I’m using the professor’s son to get better grades. To cheat. And they…” she hesitated telling him about James. After all, he could get angry and try to kill him.

“They what? What basis do they have to take away your scholarship?” 

She shook her head. “I can’t tell you…”   
  


“Why,” he asked with a sigh. He really wished she would trust him, but with his reputation, this was to be expected. He was honestly surprised that she had trusted him this much, so he didn’t want to push it.

“Because I’m afraid you’ll hurt someone I _really_ care about.”

“Darling… I would never do anything to hurt you. And it would hurt you if I were to do anything to this person correct?” he asked to which she replied with a nod, “So I promise I won’t hurt them,” he said with a blood-red smile. She didn’t think it was a good idea to lie to him but telling him the truth didn’t seem like a good decision either. She finally settled on being honest.

She took a deep breath. “My friend- the son- who I _promise_ I don’t have feelings for... _kissed_ me. And someone got a picture…” she explained. She saw a bitter expression worm its way onto his ivory features. “But I _don’t_ like him!” She added once again quickly.

He sighed. “It’s okay dear. Even if you did have feelings for him it wouldn’t matter. In the end, I will be the one that holds your heart,” he said as if it was a fact and, given the circumstances, she thought it best not to fight him on it. 

“I don’t know what to do Jeremiah…” she said the tears returning once more, “I-I just can’t lose it! If it’s gone then, then, then _there goes my whole entire future!”_ she stammered. The tears now streamed down her cheeks just as fiercely as the storm around them “I feel so trapped and I-I-I don’t know what to do!” She wailed.

“Hey hey hey,” Jeremiah said softly as he cupped her squishy cheeks in his hands. “Don’t worry love. I promise you it’s _not_ over. Your career is going to be _fine_. This is just a minor bump in the road, okay?” he said with a comforting smile. She nodded with a sniffle as he wiped her tears away. “Just leave it to me. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

She felt a lot better. She knew that he'd be true to his word. And maybe it’s just that she was feeling sad and vulnerable, but she felt really comforted by every little touch and all the attention she was getting. Still though, it wasn’t enough. She really needed some human contact. She felt herself fall towards him and wrap her arms around him tightly. “Thank you,” she said refusing to let go. He was shocked, to say the least. He gaped at the small girl holding him before he dropped his umbrella to hold her.    
  


“You’re welcome,” he said putting his chin on top of her head. They stayed there like that for quite some time. “Are you sure you’re okay (Y/N)?” He asked sweetly. She nodded. 

“I will be. Thank you, Jeremiah…” She said laying her head on his shoulder and taking in his rosy scent.    
  
“Any time, lovely.”

Soon enough he got a call and had to leave, but not before makings sure his princess was okay. They parted ways and (Y/N) felt alone again. Just then she got a call from Lillian. Class was still going on so James must have talked to her. She took a deep breath before answering the phone. 

“(Y/N) are you safe?!?!?!” Lillian yelled into the phone. (Y/N) smiled weakly. 

“Safer than I’ve ever been before,” she said as she watched Jeremiah’s car drive away.

  
  



	5. Rest in Peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was time for Jeremiah to help out his queen. Usually, he would send one of his lackeys or Ecco, but this time the grudge was personal. This target had made her cry. And besides, there was no room for failure, and you know what they say about wanting something done right...

It was time for Jeremiah to help out his queen. Usually, he would send one of his lackeys or Ecco, but this time the grudge was  _ personal _ . This target had made her cry. And besides, there was no room for failure, and you know what they say about wanting something done right...

He had a plan. All he had to do is replace the footage of (Y/N) and that boy she’s friends with  _ (and may he just add that he does not like that boy one bit) _ with some from the day before. When no one was there. It should be simple enough. Then came the matter of the dean…

He knew that (Y/N) would be against him killing her, so he’d try to… _ convince _ her to sweep the matter under the rug. If not he had a backup plan.

First, he had to knock out the security guards. With a good disguise, he took the role of the intern who usually brought coffee. The intern had a bit of what the security guards were soon to have laced into his morning coffee. A drug that would knock you out and usually make you forget what took place around 1-2 hours before it is ingested. How long you slept depended on the dosage. Jeremiah made sure to give him enough to sleep into the following morning.

The guards didn’t suspect a thing as they drank their normal evening cup of joe. The one they had to keep them awake during the nightshift. Jeremiah smirked as he watched their eyelids fall heavily, sleeping on their dest. Today the school had the day off for some obscure tradition that no one cared enough about to remember the origin of. All that really mattered was the three day weekend it gave them. Which was good news for Jeremiah, as most of the school and staff wouldn’t be there. Fewer witnesses, less trouble.

Once the footage of him entering the building and of yesterday was deleted and replaced with a loop he stood back from the computer. He also took into account that he would need to show the dean entering her office along with replacing the footage of him leaving. That meant he was on a time limit. Ah well. He was confident in his skills. 

The editing took him a while, much to his dismay. How he hated these old computers which needed to be replaced. Maybe he would make an anonymous donation for computers. After all, his (Y/N) deserved the best.

Finally, he stripped off his mask and slipped on those gloves that leave no fingerprints as he entered the unsuspecting dean’s office. It seems like she really wanted to get the document for (Y/N)’s case typed up as soon as possible. Jeremiah glared at the woman with a passion as she smiled at the page. He checked the name-tag. “Well, good evening Mrs. Stratford,” he greeted politely, glare never leaving his face.

The older woman’s eyes widened in horror. “Y-You’re-”   
  
“I’m someone that any person with  _ common sense _ wouldn’t make an enemy of. Now, who are you?”

“I-I’m,” the old woman cleared her throat, “I’m Trist Stratford, dean of performing arts. And what business d-do you have with me?” She asked as she stood and smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes. Jeremiah laughed humorlessly. She was trying to be intimidating, matching his intense glare with one of her own. He noticed as she moved the pen she had been holding behind her back. Not the best weapon to use against him, but desperate times. At least it was an old-timey pen. The kind you had to dip in an ink well.

Jeremiah stepped over to the desk and picked up the paper. He had been right. She was working on the case of (Y/N)’s alleged ‘misconduct’. “Tell me…  _ what _ is it that you hate about this girl?” He asked as he held the papers in his hand. “You seem to hold a deep hatred for her. Why.” He demanded, his voice rising at the end causing her to jump.

“S-She’s a trainwreck of a student! She’s constantly late to class, she doesn’t dress to our standards, a-and her grades are mediocre at best! It would look m-much better for our school if she was gone…” Jeremiah was now approaching her slowly, speeding up with ever remark of hers on (Y/N)’s character.

“And did you ever consider that she deserves to be here just as much as anyone else?”

“ _ S-She cheated! _ Her grades went from a B- average to A+ too quickly for it to be her alone!” The dean said as she fell back into her desk chair. It was odd that she hadn’t questioned how he knew her, but in the moments you’re afraid for your life I guess you don’t truly think rationally.

“That’s not true, and you know it. That’s why you have to stay late. To find any more proof,  _ anything _ you can use against her!” He growled slamming his hands down on the sides of desk chair. “You hurt her. You made her  _ cry _ . And for that, you will **suffer.** ” He sighed as he straightened back up. He adjusted his collar. “Please forgive me, it seems I lost my cool,” he said to the now shaking and crying dean.

“Tell you what, Trist. We both forget that this happened, me being here, you calling (Y/N) into your office, and never hurt her again and you can live. But if you disobey then your loved ones die.  **Slowly** . Then you get to live, crippled, and alone. Sound good?”

Then the old woman launched at him, pen in hand and aimed at his eye. He caught her hand and sighed. “You really _are_ a fool. Well, (Y/N) will be upset, but it’s for the best.”  
  
The dean struggled against his grip. “You’re a _monster!_ _And so is (Y/N)!”_ She screamed. Jeremiah looked at her with fury in his eyes. He laughed way too loud and much to be sane.

“You’re wrong! I am a  _ king!” _ He shoved her onto her chair and held the pen tightly against her neck. “And she is my queen!” he laughed as he pushed on the pen, slowly ending the miserable woman.

  
  


“So what happened exactly (Y/N)?” Lillian asked while handing the other girl a cup of hot chocolate. (Y/N) took it with a smile as she pulled the blanket around her tighter over her arms, not taking her eyes off of the screen which was playing the evening news. It had been about a day and a half since (Y/N) asked Jeremiah for help, and since then she had been hiding out in Lillian’s dorm.

“I don’t know. I just know that someone in our class took a photo of James kissing me and the dean assumed I was using that connection to get good grades,” she explained. Lillian scoffed. The other girl doesn’t even remember the last time she saw her this angry.

“That’s  _ bull! _ You would never do something like that!” She yelled. 

“I know, I know, but she didn’t even give me a chance to-”   
  
“Oh my god…” Lillian said as she looked to the T.V. “ _ Oh my god _ … (Y/N) look…” she whispered as she eyed the screen in horror. (Y/N) turned her eyes to the screen to see the very cause of her problems dead at her desk.

A reported droned on on the screen, talking about the possible causes of her apparent suicide.  _ “It seems that the stress and troubles of her daily life got caught up to her. She seemed to be working on a particularly tough decision, but scribbled out all details of it and poured ink over it as well, most likely wanting to protect the people involved. We encourage our viewers to look away if they are squeamish as the following view may be disturbing to them.”  _

The camera panned to the view of the dean, her sleek blonde bun stained with the blood creeping down her neck, bloodshot eyes blown open permanently. The sticky red liquid seemed to ooze from her wide open, seemingly screaming mouth still. Lodged in an artery in her neck was the very pen that had laid on her desk the day before. This didn’t seem like a suicide. Who would want to die so badly that they would shove a pen in their neck like that? 

That would take a lot of force. You’d have to be pretty upset to do that. You’d have t awfully angry with yourself. Or maybe…

_ Maybe all you had to do is tick off a certain pale-faced Valeska by making his precious darling cry. _

(Y/N) felt her lunch decide that her stomach was no longer the best place to be. She fled to the bathroom and emptied her contents into the toilet, sickening colors splashing the pristine white ceramic. She felt a cold rag placed on her neck as someone stood beside her. After a few more moments of less than appealing sounds filling the bathroom. 

“Are you _ okay _ sweetheart?” She asked sweetly.

“I-it’s all my fault…” (Y/N) breathed.

“(Y/N) no its n-”

“No Lillian you don’t understand. I did this.  _ It’s my fault…” _

“How is this your fault hun?” She asked, still not quite understanding what had happened. She took one look at her friends’ guilty face and started putting the pieces together. “(Y/N) you  _ didn’t…” _

“I didn’t know what else to do!” She exclaimed as tears ran down her face. “It was stupid. So so stupid!”

“(Y/N) he’s a  _ murderer! _ What else did you expect him to do?!” She asked loudly causing (Y/N) to shush her. Lillian, in a word, was _ livid. _ “If anyone finds out you will be convicted of whatever you call  _ hiring a hitman _ (Y/N), and yeah he would probably bail you out, but then you’d live a life on the run. Do you  _ really _ want that? To have to be in hiding  _ all the time?!” _

“No! But I didn’t ask him to kill anybody in the first place! A-and now s-someone is dead and it’s all m-my fault,” (Y/N) cried as violent sobs wracked her body. Lillian realized that now was probably not the time to scold the girl. After all, being responsible for someone’s death is not something that won’t weigh on her enough as is. 

“Listen (Y/N) I’m not going to tell anyone. And neither are you because I’m not losing my best friend,” she said much softer now as she rubbed big circles on her back. “And it wasn’t your fault really. You asked someone you thought you could trust for help and _ they _ took it too far. It was an accident. Plus, that lady wasn’t a good person.”   
  
“B-but she didn’t deserve to  _ die. _ ”   
  
“And the fact that you’re saying that is just proof that you’re still a good person, even though that dean is dead.” (Y/N) felt more tears roll down her cheeks as she hugged Lillian tight.    
  
“Thank you…” she said softly. Lillian smiled.    
  
“Of course. Just telling the truth. Now we need to get you cleaned up. The good news is that the only record of you was probably the one that was scribbled out, and you and your family are too broke to buy a hitman.”   
  


_ “Har har,” _ (Y/ N) said with an unamused frown.

“ _ Butttt! _ That means you won’t be suspected. And if Jeremiah is as good as people say he is any evidence that you and James even met with the dean will be erased.” (Y/N) sniffed and nodded.

“Well I better go back to my dorm…” she said getting up shakily.

“Okay. Be careful okay? And if you need help call  _ me _ and not  _ him,” _ she said to which (Y/N) chuckled. 

“Okay will do.”   
  
“And by the way… the broadway sorority is hosting a _ “Night of Enchantment Gala” _ later today since we have the day off. Honestly, it’s just an excuse for rich preps-”   
  
“Says the “rich prep”,” (Y/N) interrupted. Lillian ignored her and carried on with her sentence as if nothing had happened.

“To play dress up and mock the lower tiers non-expensive clothing, but hey it  _ could _ be fun!”

“...Will James be there?” She asked.

“No, I don’t think so. Why do you ask?” 

“N-No reason. I’ll consider it Lil,” she got to her door and sighed. “I’ll see you later,” she said as she hugged her friend.

  
“Stay safe (Y/N). And don’t forget to come to my room to get a dress tonight.” She said with a wave before walking off. (Y/N) smiled and unlocked her door before stepping into her small dorm. That’s strange… She could’ve sworn she smelled...  _ roses.  _ Suddenly a hand was put on her mouth as the door shut behind her.

“That took you long enough darling~” said a voice from behind her.

  
  



	6. Silk Dresses and Kisses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She sighed heavily. What would it hurt to give him a few months? “O-Okay…” She agreed. She laid her head back down on his chest and listened to the gentle thumping of his heart that seemed to beat in time with hers. She said as she felt her eyes flutter closed and she leaned completely on him, hand intertwining with his. He led her other hand back around his neck and then put it on her back as he pressed her closer to him. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy this feeling. The feeling of being protected. She knew that as long as she was with Jeremiah no one could touch her but the man himself.

A muffled scream escaped her lips. “Darling it’s just me. I’m not here to hurt you, I just didn’t think it would be best for others to hear you scream,” he said as he released her. She pushed his arms off of her and glared at him. She was mad. So mad. 

_ “What the  _ **_heck_ ** Jeremiah!” She exclaimed keeping her voice low enough so that the other occupants of the dorms couldn’t hear her. She glared at the man in front of her to which Jeremiah simply rolled his eyes. She was honestly feeling more embarrassed than anything. “You scared me!” 

“ _ I know, I know. _ I’m sorry darling,” he apologized. “I simply didn’t want to cause you more trouble. Now if you’ll just tell me where the items on the bed go I’d be appreciative.”

“The items on the…” she turned around and saw her dorm gleaming and sparkling. Not a thing was out of place (except of course the stuff on the bed), and it seemed all of her plants had been deadheaded and trimmed to perfection. The small fish tank was cleaned, and her bed (and honestly her entire room) smelled like roses. Her jaw dropped as she started to felt guilty. This must have taken him forever. It had probably taken a lot of energy out of him since he probably had a long night doing… what he did last night.

“Jeremiah…” she said softly as she turned to look back into his eyes. When he did she saw him softly smiling at her, eyes (despite having deep purple rings under them from not sleeping the night before) shining with something she couldn’t  _ quite _ pinpoint. Nevertheless, his gaze made her feel very aware of herself at that moment. No one had ever looked at her like  _ that… _

She supposed that in a way Jeremiah had done more for her than any other guy had ever done for her before. She bit her lips as she felt goosebumps rise on her arms, slight blush dusting her features. “Thank you,” she said genuinely with a grateful smile.

“Dear if you truly want to show me you’re thankful a hug would be nice.” Her smile dropped. She didn’t want to get his hopes up seeing as that could easily mean her demise, but then again so could letting him down easy. After all, this wasn’t just any man. This was _ Jeremiah. _

So she decided to hug him, and _ no _ it wasn’t because she wanted to feel safe and protected like she had that day in the rain, It wasn’t because she wanted to find out if his shirt was as soft as it looked, and it most definitely wasn’t because she wanted to bury her head into the crook of his neck and inhale the rose smell that she had grown to love. No. It was just because she owed him that much. And because he would probably kill her if she didn’t (even though she deep down knows that’s a lie) .

He smiled as he wrapped his arms around the girl and held her longer than he thought she would let him. She really was full of surprises. “I’m still mad at you Jeremiah…” she said, arms still securely around his waist. He sighed as he pet her hair lightly.   
  
“I know darling. I didn’t expect otherwise. But I think I know a way to make it up to you,” he said. She pulled away and he almost whimpered, wanting to have held her a little longer.

“How?” She asked, head curiously tilted to the side.

“I’m going to take you shopping. After all, you need a dress for tonight, right?

“I-I guess that’s true…” she agreed. 

“Then it’s settled!” He said as he took her hands in his, enjoying the way she blushed whenever she was touched. “And  _ I’m _ going to be your date tonight so of course we need to match. 

“You’re  _ what  _ now?” She asked taking her hands back. “Jeremiah I’ve already told you-”   
  
“Love I’ve seen the way you act around me. I’ve also seen how you look around James,” she flinched at the mention of his name, only solidifying Jeremiah’s belief that she did not like him. “I know you don’t know me well, but I can tell that I’m gradually chipping away at the walls you’ve built around yourself to keep others out. I’m just asking for once for you to take a risk.  _ One _ dance is all I ask for. Just one.”

She huffed. That was fair. One dance didn’t seem too awfully bad. “Okay… you get **one** dance. But that’s all!” He smiled widely at her.    
  
“Thank you,” he said sweetly, “Well we better be off. We’ve got a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it, my darling!” He said taking her hand. He pulled down his hood and put on his sunglasses. Can’t have anyone identifying him. He’d hate to have to… _ deal  _ with them in front of his darling.

  
  
  


“Jeremiah, I agreed to go dress shopping,” she whispered as the nail tech put the gell top coat on her black nails. “I didn’t know you were going to take me to a spa. This is just… too much and probably _ so _ expensive. I promise you I’m-”   
  
“Not worth it?” He finished for her. He shook his head, “You  _ are _ worth it. And besides, I’m doing this for me. I can’t be seen with you if you look like a… how did you put it? Ah.  _ Like a hobo on a Wednesday,” _ he teased to which she gave him a mock glare. 

“Ha ha very funny. I’m _ serious. _ You really didn’t have to do this.”   
  
“(Y/N) You should know that money is no object to me. Especially when it comes to you. It’s one of the many perks you’d have if you were mine.”

“But I don’t want to _ belong _ to anyone J. I want to be my own person. And besides, I’m a lot to handle. I have… a couple of mental disorders.”

“I know. Depression and anxiety,” he said. She gave him a ‘how did you know?’ look to which he simply rolled his eyes. “You’re like an open book to me (Y/N). I probably know more about you than you think.”

“Oh really? What’s my favorite color?”

“Black.” She gave him another one of those looks.

“Look at your nails. Look at your phone case. Look at your clothes.” He said while his own nail tech filed his nails.

“That was an easy one! What is my favorite animal? What is my biggest fear? What kind of music do I like?”

“You love cats and snakes. I know because you have a bunch of pictures of them on your wall. You listen to rock music and sometimes that weird Japanese music, honestly, that one was easy because I can hear it through your headphones. You really are going to have bad hearing loss if you don’t start turning that down, darling. But as for your biggest fear…” he paused.

(Y/N) smirked confidently. So he didn’t know everything about her.

“If I had to guess you’re afraid of being left or hurt by the ones you love.”

“...How-”   
  


“You won’t let me in,” he answered simply.

She laughed lightly. “Jeremiah there are other reasons I won’t let you in.”   
  
“Yes true but the main one isn’t because you’re afraid of me, love. It’s because you’re afraid of  _ yourself.  _ You’re afraid that you’ll trust me and that I’ll hurt you or leave you when I finally get what I want. But darling, I would _ never _ leave you. You can use me, bend me,  _ break  _ me. I’m all yours,” he said. (Y/N) felt the sincerity of his words.

“Y-You still don’t know everything ab-about me…” she stuttered as her face turned a couple of shades redder. He smiled warmly.

“Then I’d like to learn.” The two sat in comfortable silence after that, just enjoying the presence of each other. 

  
  
  


She didn’t know quite how it happened, but it did. She was standing in a crowded room, draped in a dress of the finest silk with her head resting peacefully on the chest of the most terrifying man in the city. She sighed and listened to the gentle thump of his heartbeat. “Jeremiah,” She breathed as she pulled away to look him in the eye.

“What is it love,” he purred pressing their foreheads together, smiling lightly when she leaned into his touch.

“I-I um…” she sighed, her arms moving to go around his neck while she completely leaned into him, “You  **can’t** kill people for me, Jeremiah,” she said softly, not quite wanting to ruin the perfectly fluffy moment. Alas, no matter how much she didn’t want to she still had to set some ground rules. It was true that she was starting to warm up to him, and she wanted her boundaries made known  _ before _ she lost herself in him and no longer cared.

“I haven’t the slightest idea what you-” The girl pulled completely away and he frowned, growling slightly from the loss of contact.

“Jeremiah I  _ know _ you killed the dean,” she began quietly.

“You asked me to help you, so I did. I don’t see why you’re so upset. She was a worthless creature and the world is better off without her,” he said trying to maintain his cool. He didn’t exactly enjoy being challenged.

She glared at him. “ _ No one _ deserves to die, Jeremiah. You cant play god with people’s lives. You’re not a king!”

He chuckled darkly as he closed the gap between them once again. “Oh, darling I most definitely am a king. And you could be a queen. And everyone else would be just a pawn for us,” he said as he pulled her hand to his lips. The girl shook her head at his offer and scoffed.

“My friends are not  _ pawns! _ And how do I know that someday when I make you mad that you’re not going to hurt me? Abuse me?  _ Kill me? _ See I can’t be with someone who could hurt me. It’s not _ healthy. _ You said it yourself, Jeremiah, I’m afraid of being hurt, and I’m not going to just trust your words because you say so.” 

He sighed as he quirked one side of his lips up with a thoughtful nod. “Okay. I get that. I know I would never hurt you, but you need proof, right?” he asked to which she nodded. She rubbed her arms which were now cold without Jeremiah’s heat on them. “Then give me a chance to prove it to you?” He asked sincerely.

“And how do you plan to do that?” She asked. He smiled, feeling like she had said yes.

“Why would I tell you when I could show you? Give me five months to be the person of your dreams and then if you like the way I treat you… you’re as much mine as I am yours,” He said lips stretched into the blood-red smile that made her feel things she couldn’t even begin to describe.

She sighed heavily. What would it hurt to give him a few months? “O-Okay…” She agreed. She laid her head back down on his chest and listened to the gentle thumping of his heart that seemed to beat in time with hers. She said as she felt her eyes flutter closed and she leaned completely on him, hand intertwining with his. He led her other hand back around his neck and then put it on her back as he pressed her closer to him. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t enjoy this feeling. The feeling of being protected. She knew that as long as she was with Jeremiah no one could touch her but the man himself.

Her eyes went open wide when she felt his lips on her forehead, lingering there for a few moments before he finally pulled away. “T-That wasn’t part of the  _ deal,  _ Jeremiah,” she stuttered.

“Yeah well… neither was  _ this,” _ he said before leaning in painfully slowly. She wanted to move away, to tell him to stop. To tell him she had to work things out with someone else first. Any excuse to keep his ruby red lips away from hers, but she didn’t. Maybe it’s because the only reason she would tell him to stop is because of James. She would say that she was still afraid of him, but that simply wasn’t true. How could you be afraid of someone who touches you this gently?

  
So slowly, bit by bit, she felt herself get up on her toes as she leaned in close. Their lips brushed only momentarily before he huffed and dove in, kissing her with a passion while still being oh so gentle. She’d be lying if she said it didn’t feel amazing. This felt so different from her kiss with James. It felt as if time stood still. At that moment no one else in the world mattered. It was just her and Jeremiah. _ Her _ Jeremiah.


End file.
